


With This Shield

by Moon_Blitz



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, F/F, Sibling Incest, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-04-18 05:42:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4694177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Blitz/pseuds/Moon_Blitz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Watching her sister go off to battle was difficult. Waiting for her return was even worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With This Shield

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BatchSan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatchSan/gifts).



 

With This Shield

Rajni stood just behind her father on the outer castle wall, gazing out at their army. Scanning the rows of soldiers and banners, she picked out the distinctive golden sword on black of the Royal Guard to her left and bit her lip. Somewhere among the knights behind that banner was her younger sister, standing proud in her new armour. Her lover, setting out for war. As their father began to address the mass of troops, Rajni blinked and made herself pay attention. Someday, she might have to make a speech like this.  
  
“Soldiers of Shakare, hear me!” Despite the distance separating them from the men and women below, she was confident that every soldier present could hear him perfectly. “The Inner Kingdoms are relying on you to protect them from Ujagar and his sun-maddened hordes! As the greatest and strongest of the Shield Kingdoms, it is our duty to defend and drive back any who seek to destroy our land and the rest of the Twenty Kingdoms. Show these desert devils your courage, your strength, and above all, your willingness to defend this land to your death. For Shakare! For the Twenty Kingdoms!”  
  
A deafening cheer rose up as the soldiers below repeated the cry, weapons raised high into the air. As the echoes faded into the morning sky, Rajni stepped forward to stand beside her father as he spoke again. “We, the rulers of Shakare, bless you brave soldiers with good fortune in the battles to come. May your sword always be sharp, and your shield never break.”  
  
Horns blared, signalling the end of the formalities, and Rajni did her best to look calm as they watched the army slowly march away towards the road leading north. She still couldn’t believe that Kakri was going into battle. “She will return, won’t she?” she asked quietly.  
  
“Of course she will. Kakri may be young, but she is highly skilled. And Ujagar only made it this far because there was no one to oppose him,” her father replied confidently, but even so, she detected a note of worry in his words. She couldn’t imagine what had made him decide to send his younger daughter out onto the battlefield like this. While the Royal Guard primarily protected the royal family, some of them did serve in times of war. Had Kakri done something to displease him? Or...no, she wouldn’t think that. _Mustn’t_ think that. Her relationship with Kakri was a secret from everyone.

\- - -

She was reading with her maids when one of the castle guards entered and saluted. “Your presence is required in the throne room, Princess Rajni,” he said stiffly, clearly trying to keep his expression calm.  
  
Rajni’s thoughts immediately went to her sister as she rose and followed the guard. Had something happened to Kakri? It had been nearly a week since the army had set out, and the last message was that they had reached the Silver Mountains. By now, they would have crossed through the passes and reached the edge of the desert that lay beyond. A chill went down her spine at that thought, but Rajni took a deep breath to calm herself. She was the heir to the throne, so she must show strength in this turbulent time.  
  
“Thank you, Arzak,” she murmured when they reached the doors to the throne room. The young man looked pleased at her words, and saluted again as two more guards opened the large double doors for her.  
  
She entered the room quickly and crossed to the table set up under one of the high windows that lined the room. Her father was already present, as were Ekara and Punya, a pair of soldiers too old to fight. She slowed her pace as she approached the table, trying to mask the worry she felt, and nodded to all present as she took her rightful place beside the king. “What news, Father?”  
  
“The army crossed the Tower Pass yesterday and made camp on the far side of the mountains," he said, never taking his eyes off the map spread across the table. “Our scouts encountered a band of Ujagar’s troops this morning, but no one was seriously injured in the fighting. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to take any captives.”  
  
“Those desert snakes would rather kill themselves than be taken prisoner,” Ekara said with a scowl. “At least we won’t have to deal with that when we crush them.”  
  
Rajni breathed out slowly at the news. Kakri was fine, and this was just a meeting to discuss strategy, nothing more.  
  
“Do we know where Ujagar is?” she asked, leaning over to look at the map.  
  
“His scouts were carrying food and supplies, so they’re at least three days away,” Puyna said. She then tapped a blue dot on the map, well out in the desert. “The last caravan reported troops gathering at this oasis a month ago, so they’ll be marching from there once all the clans have gathered.”  
  
The topic moved to troop movements and supply chains for the army, as well as a dozen other topics that make Rajni glad she wasn’t a captain on the front lines. What was decided here would be sent to the army, but it was always left to those at the front to decide whether to follow the advice. From her history lessons, she knew that past kings and queens of Shakare rarely issued direct orders to their troops if they weren’t in command themselves.  
  
Once the meeting concluded, she lingered over the map as the other left. Reaching out, she traced the half-moon curve of the northern mountains with a finger, starting at the westernmost cliffs up to the Silver Mountains at the top of the curve and down again to where the western peaks dropped into the ocean to form a small chain of islands off to the southwest. The mountains divided the fertile Twenty Kingdoms from northern deserts and wastes, and were impassable at all but a few places. The lands protecting those valuable passes were known as the Shield Kingdoms, while those to the south bore the name Inner Kingdoms. Beyond the desert were other kingdoms which the Twenty Kingdoms traded with, and it was one of those trade caravans which had first alerted them to Ujagar’s plans.  
  
Placing her palm over the stone that marked the position of Shakare’s army, Rajni pressed down on it, hoping desperately that the war would be over soon and that Kakri would return to her. She missed their midnight meetings, the feeling of Kakri’s lips on her skin and the sensation of being one with her sister that no future husband could possibly match. “Stay safe, my love,” she whispered to the empty room. “And come back to me.”

\- - -

Five days later, they got news of the first battle. Rajni was discussing the history of their family with her father when Arzak entered the room and saluted. “King Ahmar, Princess Rajni, a hawk has arrived from the front.”  
  
“So Ujargar finally slithered out of the desert, did he?” Her father accepted the small packet that Arzak held out before dismissing him with a wave of his hand. The guard left quickly after another salute, and she wondered if he was bitter about being assigned to the castle watch instead of the army.  
  
The king unfolded the message and read it carefully, Rajni resisting the temptation to look over his shoulder. “Ujagar attacked at dawn,” he said at last. “Not a full-scale assault, just a battle to test our defences, but he still came out the worst for it. Some casualties on our side, but no serious losses.” She had to press her lips together to keep from asking about Kakri. No news meant that her sister was fine, or at most, slightly wounded.  
  
“Good news is always welcome,” she replied hesitantly, not sure how to respond to matters of war yet. Shakare had been at peace for the last decade, and the small battles with the neighbouring Shield Kingdoms over minor matters were a distant childhood memory.  
  
“It is indeed, dearest Rajni.” He tucked the note away and smiled before patting her shoulder. “Especially news like this. Don’t worry, Ujagar and his sun-addled horde won’t so much as set foot on the Silver Mountains.” He rose to leave, and she did her best to look happy. Her smile seemed to satisfy him, so he left.  
  
Now alone, she stared down at her hands and wished she could do something other than sit around and wait. She had thought about sending a letter north, but she couldn’t express what she really wanted to say in case the letter got lost, stolen or somehow fell into the wrong hands. Kakri would return when the army ground Ujagar to dust or he fled back into the desert, so she would simply bottle up all her passion until then. Like the shield that was on the family crest, she would be strong and not break in the face of adversity.

\- - -

Her maid Arga woke her before dawn several days later. “I apologize for waking you so early, Princess, but a rider from the north has just arrived!”  
  
Rajni was awake almost instantly. “Help me dress – something simple will do,” she commanded as she pushed the sheets back. Arga and her other maid Huma was already looking in the closet by the time she removed her nightgown, and she only waited a few moments before they brought forth a blue silk robe with wide sleeves and a pleated pale blue skirt. A sash of dark silver with matching slippers completed the outfit, and as soon as she had tied her hair back Rajni was out the door heading for the throne room.  
  
She could tell something was wrong as soon as she saw her father’s face, but he held up a hand before she spoke. “Let us wait until everyone has gathered.” She nodded, and stood by his side with mounting worry as his advisers filed in. Punya and Ekara were the last to arrive, Ekara trying and failing to hide a yawn with his fist.  
  
“Ujagar attacked in force yesterday afternoon. All of our forces were sent against him, and it was a fierce battle. Despite outnumbering him, Ujagar fought skillfully, and surprised us by using several groups of soldiers from the lands beyond the desert.” Rajni gasped at that, as did several other people. Relations with those lands had been distant but good on the whole, so this revelation was worrying.  
  
“Could they be mercenaries?”  
  
Her father nodded at Ekara’s question. “They probably are, based on the small number of them. Several were captured alive, so we’ll know in time. As for the battle itself, it raged all afternoon and into the evening, but ended before nightfall. Both sides had heavy losses, but Ujagar lost most of his soldiers. Those who didn’t die in battle either fled, or killed themselves if they were too wounded to escape. Ujagar himself was killed in battle late in the day. His body was recovered and will be burned along with the rest before our army departs.”  
  
Here the king paused, and Rajni felt her chest tighten. He had said there had been heavy losses...could it be?  
  
“Princess Kakri fought in the battle, and seems to have fought tremendously well. Unfortunately, she was surrounded by opposing forces, and was seriously wounded before fellow Royal Guard members could come to her aid.”  
  
Rajni put a hand to her mouth, both to stop the cry of dismay that was rising up inside her as well as to calm her churning stomach. “Is...is she...?” was all that she was able to get out before her stomach lurched again and she clamped her teeth together.  
  
Her father squeezed her shoulder and did his best to smile. “Kakri is alive. Injured, but alive. The rider departed while the surgeons were tending to her, so I don\t know the extent of her wounds.”  
  
Relief washed over her at that, she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to compose herself. Father must be as worried as she was, but yet he was carrying on, so she must as well. She could feel the others looking at her, so she opened her eyes and focused on the discussion about the battle.

\- - -

Rajni couldn’t get to Kakri’s chambers fast enough once she heard that her sister was safely back in the castle. Either by trickery or by bad fortune, she had been trapped in a meeting with ambassadors from several of the Inner Kingdoms, there to give thanks to Shakare for defeating Ujagar and to continue discussions on trade relations and the like. The guards stationed outside of her sisters door moved to block her way as she approached, so she lifted her chin and said in her most commanding voice, “Let me though. I must see my sister.”  
  
“The king’s orders were that no one was to disturb her,” one protested weakly.  
  
“I am the heir to the throne of Shakare, and I demand to be let through!” Her quiet but sharp command made them wince, but they reluctantly stepped aside. “Thank you,” she said in a calmer tone, then pushed open the door.  
  
Thankfully, Kakri was alone in her room. Quietly approaching the bed, she couldn’t hold back a gasp at what she saw. Bandages covered the left side of her sister’s face, and she could tell by the way that bedding lay on her body that more bandages were hidden from sight. Her right eye was closed, but it opened as Rajni sat down beside her.  
  
“Rajni...” Despite her appearance, her voice was strong, and Raji couldn’t help but smile. “I’m home.”  
  
“Kakri... _Sister_...I missed you so much!” She wanted to hug her and never let her go, but not yet. Kakri must have sensed that, for she slid a bruised arm from under the covers and held it out. Rajni grabbed it immediately and squeezed it as hard as she dared. “I’m glad you’re home. I-I thought you were gone, when I first heard...”  
  
“Of course you did. But I’m here now, so don’t worry anymore. I’m never going to leave your side again, no matter what Father says. Not that I can fight again, anyway.”  
  
“Your sword hand?” Rajni asked quietly, fearing the worst.  
  
“No, my eye. The surgeons managed to save it, but they doubt I’ll see out of it again.” Kakri smiled, clearly trying to reassure her. “My sword-arm is sore and badly cut, but it’ll heal. You’ll have some scars to kiss, soon.”  
  
“Hush, not here.” Rajni glanced over her shoulder at the door, but it was tightly closed.  
  
“Always the worrier.”  
  
“One of us has to be.”  
  
“Since I’m going to be your sworn knight now, I should be the one worrying about things.”  
  
Rajni raised her sister’s hand to her lips and kissed it gently. “As heir, it’s my job to worry about everything, especially my little sister.”  
  
A familiar gleam came into Kakri’s eye as she slipped her hand free and grabbed Rajni’s chin. “Then worry about how we’re going to make up for all the time we missed.”  
  
“It’s only been a month.” Despite the lingering danger of being interrupted, Rajni didn’t pull away from Kakri’s hand. Her body was screaming for more, but even this little contact was better than nothing.  
  
“A month is far too long, you know that. Just one kiss, that’s all I ask for.”  
  
She paused, listening for footsteps in the hall, but all was quiet. Bracing herself on the bed, she leaned over and whispered, “And you know I can never refuse you.” Kakri pulled her closer then, and Rajni let herself get lost in the sweetest kiss of her life.


End file.
